French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said Wednesday world powers have agreed on United Nations sanctions against Iran. From Paris, Lisa Bryant reports for VOA that the foreign minister's remarks come after senior international diplomats met on the matter in the French capital.
Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy told France's RTL radio that six world powers have agreed to support a U.N. Security Council resolution against Iran.
Douste-Blazy says the six have agreed to a united stance on a resolution to sanction Iran at the U.N. Security Council. He says, although the powers have yet to agree on the scope of the sanctions, China and Russia - which have traditionally balked at a U.N. resolution against Tehran - are on board.
The foreign minister's remarks come a day after senior diplomats from the six countries met in Paris to discuss a sanctions plan. The six are the five permanent security council members - France, the United States, Britain, China and Russia -- plus Germany.
Although Tehran insists its nuclear program is for purely peaceful purposes, the six believe Iran is trying to build a nuclear weapon. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has warned his country would consider any effort by France Germany or Britain to block Iran's nuclear program to be an act of hostility.
U.S. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns had expressed doubt the Paris talks would lead to a breakthrough on sanctions. But, although the powers apparently need to agree on exactly what kinds of sanctions to back, there seems to be a general consensus that the Security Council is the next step, when it comes to dealing with Iran.